Online Review Turns Customers Into Advertisers

With customers the most influential source of brand advertising today, marketers need to embrace online review to feed the customer relationships and loyalty that create brand advocates, urges Trustpilot CMO Jan Vels Jensen in a recent imediaconnection blog post. A Nielsen survey finding that 84% of respondents said word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family were more trustworthy than brand advertising should be a wake-up call to marketers about the value of customer voices. Creating an online review community shows consumers the human side of the brand before they make a purchase and allows companies to build trust and social proof, says Jensen. Brands can generate 40% additional revenue each year and lift sales by 18% by highlighting customer voices and incorporating online reviews into their advertising strategies, according to his data. Online reviews have also been shown to increase conversion rates, prevent basket abandonment and encourage repeat purchases and brand advocacy, he adds. And when customers are alerted to online reviews, it affects click-through rates on paid and organic search. Read the complete post at
http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2014/07/14/how-to-give-the-loudest-voice-to-your-best-advertisers-your-customers/